Fire, Punch, and Emotions
by Freehugs41
Summary: It's the Dance everyone has waited for. But, when something goes horribly, life-changingly wrong, will Cindy ever forgive Jimmy? And what invention malfunctioned? OneShot.


Oh me, oh my, another one-shot from me… you know you're excited (or I hope you know that your excited… are you?) Anyway, I think this is semi-decent, and also a little long-ish. Please read and review this story about Jimmy Neutron (Which I DO NOT own in any way, shape, or form…).

"Cindy, please listen to me, I'm Sorry. I already told you I was sorry about thirty times for setting your dress on fire. It's not my fault. I warned you that all my relatively new inventions are somewhat unstable. I'm really, really sorry. I probably shouldn't have tried to test it so close to you. It was all my fault. I don't blame you if you never talk to me again. Please, please forgive me, Cindy." Said Jimmy, talking though the door of the Girl's bathroom.

It was the Spring Dance, what everyone had waited for all year. Cindy had bought a new dress just for the occasion, Sheen had worked up the courage to ask Libby, and Jimmy had tried to make a new invention.

Jimmy tried to convince everyone that the invention was to occupy his time to the weeks prior to the dance, so he wouldn't have to be around all the 'drama'. However, it was really to keep him away from Cindy, so he wouldn't have to watch when some other guy asked her to the dance. He would have, but he really couldn't work up the courage.

Apparently, no other guys asked Cindy, or she rejected all that did, because she was there alone. Not like she would even look at him though. She had been acting like he didn't exist for the whole day, and especially at the dance. Then came the other use for his invention. For some reason he thought it was a good idea to try and impress Cindy with his new invention. She seemed interested enough, even somewhat excited. Sadly, as disaster follows him everywhere, and he tends to trip over himself more than usual around Cindy, his invention exploded. The only person that seemed to be in trouble was, of course, Cindy, whose dress started burning at the hem. The rest was a blur of punch and smoke, and now he was standing outside the Girl's bathroom, hoping that Cindy was still listening to his apologies. Apparently, she was.

"Done contradicting yourself yet Neutron?" Asked Cindy, desperately trying to wipe all signs of tears from her face.

Surprised by her actually replying it took Jimmy a second to reply with, "Y-yeah. Are you okay Cindy? Can you come outside?"

"Um," started Cindy, examining her tragically tear-stained face in the mirror, "Sure"

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She looked up at the boy standing in front of her. Jimmy tried to not stare at her somewhat-vulnerable looking face, so he looked down at her seared hem.

"You know Neutron, I could just stand here all day, but I think I'll put an end to my misery tonight and just go home now." Said Cindy, turning on her heel.

"Wait!" Shouted Jimmy, even shocking himself.

"What now?" groaned Cindy, although feeling secret excitement.

"I…um…want to ask you something."

"Well? Out with it!" Cindy demanded, turning around.

"Okay, okay! Um… why didn't you have a date or something? I thought almost all the boys would ask you."

Cindy paused for a second in shock before saying, "Why? Were you wondering why nobody came to beat you up for setting my dress on fire?"

"Well, someone did…" Said Jimmy, before thinking 'no you idiot, beating yourself up doesn't count!'

"Who was that?" Said Cindy, suprised.

"Uh… no one… seriously, though, why did you turn down Nick?"

"How did you hear about that?" Asked Cindy

"He asked you in the middle of class and I sit right next to you." Said Jimmy, raising his eyebrows

"Oh" Said Cindy, looking down at her punch-stained sparkly shoes.

"Uh… listen, Cindy, if you want me to replace your dress or shoes or anything, I-"

"No, its okay, they weren't that pretty anyway."

"On you they were." muttered Jimmy, before mentally slapping himself again.

"What?"

"N-nothing…"

The silence that followed was both awkward and deafening. Cindy brushed some black rubble off the bottom of her dress and into a puddle of red punch that was dripping from her blonde hair. She really wished that they hadn't dumped the whole bowl of punch on her head and not just the fire.

"Listen, Cindy, I should probably go home too… do you mind if I, well, technically we'd be walking together, but... Can I walk you home? I mean, um... as friends or... yeah."

"Well, seeing as I live across the street from you Neutron, that won't be too difficult, now will it?" Said Cindy, pushing past Jimmy and beginning to walk towards the doors of the school.

Jimmy quickly caught up with her, gripping his invention in his right hand, trying to hide it as well as he could. The walked outside the double doors of the school, not speaking, and Jimmy began twitching his fingers a little, drumming against the invention. With a little clink on the pavement, it hit the ground and rolled a little. Jimmy tried to pick it up before she saw it, but he was too late.

"So what _was_ that thing supposed to be for?" Asked Cindy

"Oh, well actually it's the Neutronic-Mood Orb. It's a little glass ball that is supposed to detect your mood by holding it in your hand… as you know all the little kinks aren't worked out yet. Right there is the light, which is supposed to light up a different color for each mood." Said Jimmy, pointing to the light on the little, palm-sized orb.

"But what if there are several moods that someone is experiencing at the same time?" Asked Cindy

"Well, that's kind of the problem. The invention has technical issues most of the time when used because the person is feeling two or more emotions. I need to find a way for it to show two emotions without doing what it does now, which is flash the colors of the emotions the person is feeling faster and faster until it explodes or sets fire."

"Oh… do you think you can show me?"

"Why would you want to see it explode? It would probably burn your dress again."

"So? I'm not stupid Nerdtron; I can make decisions for myself! Just show me the stupid invention." Shouted Cindy, returning to her normal threatening atmosphere

"Okay, okay," Said Jimmy, slightly scared, "But, wait, which one of us do you want me to use it on? There are only two of us and…"

Cindy gave Jimmy a look the expressed quiet plainly who he should test it on.

"Okay, but it is still slightly defective…" Jimmy said, turning it on in the palm of his hand

Jimmy gripped the orb very tightly until it made a small 'beep'. He held it up to show the colors it was flashing. First, red; then, purple; then, orange; and lastly, a very quick flash of pink. It kept flashing the colors over and over, humming slightly louder, until a few sparks flew out and it went black.

"Okay, you saw it, now-"

"What did the colors mean?" Asked Cindy

"W-what?"

"You heard me!"

"Oh, well… red means anger, purple means fear-"

"You're scared of me?" Asked Cindy, though Jimmy wasn't sure if she was fighting back laughter or tears.

"Well… you were yelling at me. Anyway, orange means… nervousness..."

"Why were you nervous?"

"Because I don't exactly want to go around telling people what I'm feeling, that's why!" Shouted Jimmy.

"Well, you offered!"

"No I-"

"So what does pink mean?" Asked Cindy, in a much lighter tone

Jimmy paused for a second.

"Um… well… it… it's a funny story really," he said, his heart beating faster every second, "And, like I said, it is a little defective…"

"Just tell me!"

"Fine… pink means… er... well I added it to represent feelings of… admiration or attraction… I guess…" Said Jimmy, closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his neck

Cindy was completely silent, her expression unreadable.

"But its defective… right?" Asked Cindy, almost in a whisper.

"Yes, why else would it have set you on fire?"

"True… we better go." Said Cindy, realizing that they'd been standing in the same spot since Jimmy pulled out his invention.

Cindy seemed to be in a hurry, but still deep in thought, as they walked further down the sidewalk. It was already getting dark outside, since it was about 8:30. The school quickly faded from view, leaving Jimmy and Cindy engulfed in silence and darkness, other than the street lights.

"So Neutron… we're almost in middle school…" Said Cindy, in her attempt to start a conversation.

"Yeah… they might not tolerate our fighting as much…" Replied Jimmy, laughing slightly, which got louder when Cindy joined in with a little giggle.

"Yeah… but we haven't really fought for a while… not since like-"

"Well we did get into that heated argument last week about… what was that about again?"

"You mean the one about Yogurt or the one about Christopher Columbus?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those two, I was thinking about the one on Thursday."

"What one on Thursday? We only had two fights last week."

"No, there was one about Jell-o or something."

"You're wrong Neutron that was about Yogurt."

"No, that one was on Monday." Said Jimmy, leaning in closer to Cindy as they had come to a stop again.

"Well I don't know which one you're thinking of, but whatever it is, it never happened." Shouted Cindy, leaning in towards Jimmy.

"It did too. I remember you telling me that I was the rudest person you ever met."

"Wow, your hallucinations are very accurate."

"I'm telling you Cindy, I remember arguing at least three times last week!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't argue so much…"

"Me?"

By now the two of them were less than an inch away from each other. Jimmy was the first to notice this closeness, and also the first to jump back in embarrassment. Cindy immediately followed, matching Jimmy's shade of crimson in her face.

"Eww… don't get so close to me Neutron… I don't want your geekyness rubbing off on me!" Said Cindy, pushing him back further.

"For your information Dorktex, you were the one that got close to me!" Shouted Jimmy, his nervousness turning to anger.

"Fine… lets just go… we keep standing in the same spots and it's taking forever."

"Yeah… okay, fine…" Said Jimmy, still a little angry.

They were silent again, walking closer and closer to their houses.

"Um… Jimmy?" Asked Cindy, almost whispering.

"What?" Asked Jimmy, while in deep thought.

"Why didn't you ask anyone to the dance?"

"Oh… that." Said Jimmy, quickly thinking of an answer that wouldn't sound to pathetic.

Cindy just looked up at him giving him a 'just tell me' look.

"Well… I didn't really want anyone… Girls are-" Started Jimmy, before Cindy gave him a threatening look, "Well, they don't like me anyway, and I don't think I should subject myself to that kind of embarrassment."

"What If I, hypothetically, told you that I knew a girl who would say yes…" Replied Cindy, after a pause.

"Well if that happened, hypothetically, I would have to know who it is…"

"Oh yeah… I actually do know a girl who was waiting for you to ask her…"

"Really? I know a boy who desperately wanted enough courage to ask you."

"I'm not dating Carl."

Jimmy started laughing, before saying, "No, it's not Carl."

"Well then who is it?" Asked Cindy

"He told me not to tell you…"

"Oh…"

"Did the girl tell you not to tell me too?"

"Uh… yeah… she's a little shy about it."

"So is the guy that likes you."

"Are you sure you can't tell me?"

"Yeah, he was very clear about that," Said Jimmy, when another thought crossed his mind, "Oh and it's not Nick."

"And the girl that likes you isn't Betty." Said Cindy, speaking a little quickly.

"So… who is it?" Asked Jimmy, already knowing what she was going to say.

"I already told you I can't tell you… plus, we're home." Said Cindy, looking up to see they were standing in front of her house.

"Oh…" Said Jimmy, sounding a little disappointed.

"Yeah… but if you ever tell anyone I let you walk home with me, I'll-"

"I know, I know. Bye Cindy, see you in class tomorrow."

"See you in class too Neutron." Said Cindy, walking up to her house, holding up the hem of her scorned dress, because it was scratching her leg.

Cindy turned when she reached the door, to see Jimmy still looking at her. She quickly stuck out her tongue to hide her pleasure. Jimmy mirrored the facial expression and she turned around and walked into her house.

Once they were out of each other's sight they each thought simultaneously, 'I wonder if they'll every find out that the person who likes them is…me…'

THE END

Did you like it? It took me a while, and it's long-ish… well for me it is. Please review this One-Shot and I'll smile and giggle in my fourteen-year-old girl giggle… and it might even fill me with everlasting joy! Thanks for reading… I appreciate it!


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